Filmmuseum, Cinema De Balie, Paradiso, ISHSS-UvA, NiMK, Binger Filmlab. Opening at Studio K

On tour: Lumière (Maastricht), Images (Groningen) en Noorderlijk Filmfestival (Leeuwarden)

The Mexican Film Festival Cinemaztlán welcomes you to its third edition from 28 October until 4 November 2009 with a selection of Mexican visual creation not seen before in the Netherlands. Its rich and diverse program includes this year contemporary Mexican films, restored cinema classics, video art, debates, a script-production contest, a special live music presentation to celebrate the Day of the dead and more.

Films: Contemporary and classical films
The contemporary films of Cinemaztlán features several National and European Lumières.
The festival's film program has been divided on this occasion in the following blocks: Prelude of Revolution, Sexuality, Indigenous Cinema and Mexican Panorama. Each of them give a critical social and cultural look to the way in which traditions and modernity merge and change in that multifaceted country that is Mexico. Cinemaztlán remains true to its objectives to present innovative from talented emerging artists and to provide new and exciting angles of Mexican culture.

On the classical Mexican films front the festival is proud to present a five films retrospective of the most important cinematographer in the history of Mexico: Gabriel Figueroa (1908-1997). These selection includes internationally renowned works, such as Enamorada (1946) of Emilio 'Indio' Fernandez and Nazarin (1958) of Luis Buñuel.

Video Art presentation
Cinemaztlán has organized a special presentation of Mexican video art, an art field rarely seen abroad. The guest curator of the program, José Manuel Springer, has prepared a challenging video art programme titled Videum, which will address the blurring frontier between fiction and reality in Mexico. Some of the artist to be seen are Teresa Margolles (the current Mexican artist at the Biennale di Venezia 2009), Miguel Calderón and Ximena Cuevas.

The Day of the Dead
Cinemaztlán has invited the underground Mexican band Nine Rain as special guests for a show on the Day of the Dead on 1 November in Paradiso. The multitalented musicians -among which plays Steven Brown (Tuxedomoon)- mixes traditional Mexican music with experimental music. At this occasion the band will play live the soundtrack it has composed for Sergei Eisenstein Que viva Mexico! This event is a collaboration between Cinemaztlán and Rocket Cinema. This day we will celebrate in a unique way the Day of the Dead with a full program of special acts.

Debates
You are welcomed to join Cinemaztlán's debates on the developments of Mexican cinema and society in which guest Mexican filmmakers and experts will dive into topics related to the contemporary films in the festival. The debates will take place at the ISHSS, University of Amsterdam. The focus of the debates will be Indigenous Cinema and Sexuality.

Script-production contest
Cinemaztlán organised a script-production contest in Mexico and the Netherlands in order to stimulate creativity and co-production. This is an initiative kindly supported by the Binger Filmlab, Pimienta Films and revolver Media. For the contest, the festival invited Dutch scriptwriters to write a script for a short script about an Mexican legend. An Idyll from Robert van Dijk was the winner of this first phase of the contest. At its second phase, Mexican filmmakers have been challenged to make a director's proposal on the winning Dutch script. The organization of the festival grows in excitement, as during the opening of the festival the Mexican winner will be known! Nestor Sampieri is the winner Mexican Director who will shoot An Idyll. He has been chosen on the 25 of September. Both young film makers will meet each other at the Festival's Opening, and will go through an intensive creative development workshop at the Binger Film Lab. The short film is to be shot on location in Mexico City in a schedule yet to be announced early on 2010.

Videos Cinemaztlan 2009